Principle QA Test Engineer in Leeds

Principle QA Test Engineer in Leeds

Leeds Full-Time 60000 - 70000 ÂŁ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
Pharmacy2U Ltd

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and implement automation frameworks for web, mobile, and API layers.
  • Company: Join the UK's largest online pharmacy with a commitment to quality and innovation.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, flexible working, and extensive health benefits.
  • Other info: Be part of a supportive culture with great career growth opportunities.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact on patient care while shaping the future of digital healthcare.
  • Qualifications: Experience in automation frameworks and strong coding skills required.

The predicted salary is between 60000 - 70000 ÂŁ per year.

Location: We operate a hybrid schedule, meaning 2-3 days a week in the office based at Thorpe Park, Leeds.

Salary: ÂŁ DOE plus extensive benefits

Contract type: Permanent

Employment type: Full time/Part time

Working hours: We work on a core hours principle. Our core hours are 09:30 - 16:00; you can work around these to suit you!

Do you want to work for the nation’s largest online pharmacy ensuring excellence for all our patients? We’re a market leader in the pharmacy world, with 25 years’ experience, helping over 1.8 million patients in England manage their NHS prescriptions from request through to delivery. We are Great Place to Work certified as we consider colleague experience a top priority every day, and as a certified B Corp we also meet high standards of social and environmental responsibility. Our people are fundamental to our success and ensuring we achieve our vision to be a world leading, patient‑centric digital healthcare provider. We are committed to continuing to develop a positive, open and honest working environment for all. Our tech teams keep us running 24/7 to make sure all our patients get world class service. To support that, this role may include participation in an out‑of‑hours rota as required by the business. We operate fair scheduling process as well as additional compensation for all on call periods.

The Principal QA Engineer will shape the technical foundations of quality across Pharmacy2U’s technology landscape. Operating across Agile squads, the role focuses on designing and owning modern automation frameworks, setting standards, and enabling teams to deliver high‑quality software at scale. As the most senior technical role within QA, this position drives an automation‑first, shift‑left culture, strengthens performance testing capability, and explores AI‑assisted approaches that improve quality, feedback speed, and engineering productivity.

Why you’ll love working with us:

  • Financial security & rewards: Competitive contributory pension, Occupational sick pay, Long-service awards and refer‑a‑friend bonuses, Professional registration fees covered (GPhC, NMC, CIPD and more), Cycle to Work and Green Car schemes (subject to eligibility)
  • Family-friendly: Enhanced maternity and paternity pay, Flexible hybrid working to help balance work and home life
  • Health & wellbeing: Private healthcare insurance at discounted rates (Aviva), Employee Assistance Programme and in‑house mental health support, Access to discounted gym memberships via Blue Light Card and benefits schemes, Regular health and wellbeing initiatives
  • Career growth: Strong commitment to CPD, training and professional development
  • Time off & flexibility: 25 days’ annual leave, increasing with service, Buy and sell holiday scheme
  • Everyday perks & exclusive discounts: Blue Light Card and employee discount platform, Exclusive discounts at The Springs, Leeds, 25% off health & beauty purchases, 25% off Pharmacy2U Private Online Doctor services
  • Culture & community: Regular social events throughout the year

What you’ll be doing:

  • Designing and implementing automation frameworks across web, mobile, app, and API layers, including the architecture, tooling, and patterns squads build upon
  • Building and evolving performance testing practices using k6 to help teams understand system behaviour under load
  • Defining coding standards, contribution guidelines, and reusable patterns that make automated tests easier to write and maintain
  • Integrating automation and quality checks into CI/CD pipelines and embedding quality practices into day‑to‑day squad workflows
  • Exploring and introducing AI‑assisted testing and development approaches (such as Copilot or AI agents) where they meaningfully improve test development, debugging, or engineering productivity
  • Partnering with engineering teams to support strong unit and integration testing practices, while ensuring end‑to‑end journeys and critical patient flows are well covered
  • Introducing accessibility testing practices and automated accessibility checks into testing workflows
  • Influencing how quality is measured in production through observability, monitoring, and meaningful release health signals
  • Investigating complex issues across services, integrations, and environments using logs, monitoring, and debugging tools
  • Providing technical mentorship to QA Engineers and developers adopting modern testing practices
  • Helping shape quality gates and automated feedback loops that provide fast, reliable confidence without slowing delivery
  • Contributing actively to the QA Guild and Communities of Practice, sharing knowledge and supporting growth across the wider engineering function
  • Translating complex technical context into clear, accessible language for non‑technical leadership and contributing to capability and investment discussions alongside QA leadership

Who are we looking for?

  • Comfortable working with large codebases or monolithic repositories
  • Enjoys mentoring engineers and QA Engineers, with impact measured by how much the wider team improves
  • Comfortable influencing technical direction across multiple teams without direct authority and translating technical complexity for non‑technical leadership
  • Stays curious about industry direction and brings informed perspectives on emerging tools, frameworks, and approaches
  • Explored or implemented AI‑assisted testing and development approaches and can articulate what worked well and what did not
  • Cares about the end users of what is built, with a clear understanding that this means patients in this context
  • Brings extensive experience building automation frameworks for modern web, mobile, and API platforms
  • Deep coding experience, ideally in TypeScript or JavaScript
  • Hands‑on experience with Playwright, Cypress, or similar modern automation frameworks
  • Experience designing automation architecture for complex systems, not just writing automated tests
  • Experience implementing performance testing strategies using k6 or similar tooling
  • Experience testing systems with multiple services, APIs, and third‑party integrations
  • Experience integrating automation into CI/CD pipelines and modern delivery workflows
  • Strong understanding of modern testing strategies, including unit, integration, and end‑to‑end approaches
  • Strong understanding of service‑based architectures, distributed systems, and modern web platforms

Applicants must prove they have the right to live in the UK. All successful applicants will be required to undergo a DBS check.

Principle QA Test Engineer in Leeds employer: Pharmacy2U Ltd

Join Pharmacy2U, the UK's largest online pharmacy, where we prioritise colleague experience and foster a culture of growth and innovation. With a hybrid working model based in Thorpe Park, Leeds, you will enjoy competitive benefits, including enhanced family leave, private healthcare, and a strong commitment to professional development. Our supportive environment encourages collaboration and creativity, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in digital healthcare.
Pharmacy2U Ltd

Contact Detail:

Pharmacy2U Ltd Recruiting Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫

We think this is how you could land Principle QA Test Engineer in Leeds

✨Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections on LinkedIn or attend industry meetups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.

✨Tip Number 2

Prepare for those interviews! Research the company, understand their values, and be ready to discuss how your skills align with their needs. Practise common interview questions and have your own questions ready to show your interest.

✨Tip Number 3

Showcase your skills! If you’ve got a portfolio or examples of your work, bring them along to the interview. Demonstrating your expertise can set you apart from other candidates.

✨Tip Number 4

Don’t forget to follow up! After your interview, send a thank-you email to express your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a great way to keep yourself top of mind and show your enthusiasm for the role.

We think you need these skills to ace Principle QA Test Engineer in Leeds

Automation Framework Design
Performance Testing with k6
CI/CD Integration
AI-Assisted Testing Approaches
Accessibility Testing Practices
Technical Mentorship
TypeScript or JavaScript Coding
Playwright or Cypress Experience
Understanding of Service-Based Architectures
End-to-End Testing Strategies
Debugging Tools Proficiency
Agile Methodologies
Collaboration with Engineering Teams
Translating Technical Complexity for Non-Technical Stakeholders

Some tips for your application 🫡

Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Principal QA Engineer role. Highlight your experience with automation frameworks, performance testing, and any AI-assisted approaches you've explored. We want to see how your skills align with what we're looking for!

Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about quality assurance and how you can contribute to our mission at Pharmacy2U. Don't forget to mention your experience in mentoring and influencing technical direction.

Showcase Your Technical Skills: In your application, be sure to showcase your deep coding experience, especially in TypeScript or JavaScript. Mention any hands-on experience with tools like Playwright or Cypress, as well as your understanding of CI/CD pipelines. We love seeing those skills in action!

Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates. Plus, it’s super easy to do!

How to prepare for a job interview at Pharmacy2U Ltd

✨Know Your Automation Frameworks

Make sure you’re well-versed in the automation frameworks mentioned in the job description, like Playwright and Cypress. Be ready to discuss your experience with these tools and how you've implemented them in past projects.

✨Showcase Your Performance Testing Skills

Since performance testing is a key part of this role, prepare examples of how you've used tools like k6. Talk about specific scenarios where your testing helped improve system behaviour under load.

✨Emphasise Your Mentoring Experience

This position involves mentoring other QA Engineers, so be prepared to share your experiences in guiding teams. Highlight any successful outcomes from your mentorship that improved team performance or quality standards.

✨Discuss AI-Assisted Approaches

The company is interested in exploring AI-assisted testing. If you have experience with tools like Copilot or similar, be ready to discuss what worked well and any challenges you faced. This shows you're forward-thinking and aligned with their goals.

Principle QA Test Engineer in Leeds
Pharmacy2U Ltd
Location: Leeds

Land your dream job quicker with Premium

You’re marked as a top applicant with our partner companies
Individual CV and cover letter feedback including tailoring to specific job roles
Be among the first applications for new jobs with our AI application
1:1 support and career advice from our career coaches
Go Premium

Money-back if you don't land a job in 6-months

>